Headphones

[Michael_DK]

but the last statement about avoiding a wide frequency response is just not accurate.

What he mentioned was avoiding EMPHASIZED highs and lows (i.e. "hyped") - not a wide frequency response as such.

 

[bluenova]

Check out the YouTube videos done by sonicsenseproaudio. They have headphone recordings that are compared to the direct music file. The m40x and m50x seemed almost exactly the same to me as the originals. I own both and slightly prefer the m40x. I think it is flatter in the low frequencies and the m50 is slightly boosted.

 

[Kazz]

Wow, interesting results here on the suggestions.
I had a set of the Sony MDR and although they had a nice sound to them and had a decent bass, I felt it was a step up when I went to Sennheisers. The clarity was night & day to me.
I use it more for monitoring and mixing, rather than just home jamming at night so maybe the lush sound of the Sony's is more enjoyable for that purpose. Also, Sennheiser has several models and the quality/performance varies on what model and how much you spend.

As far as tech tips on headphone purchases, pay attention to the "frequency response" in hz ratings, this is the range of tone they can produce, you want the low number to be as low as possible and the high number as high as possible.
For example:
-Sennheiser HD25 16hz - 22000hz approx $150.
-Sennheiser HD8 8hz - 30000hz approx $350.
The more expensive model has a wider range and will produce better lows and clearer highs, another case of "you get what you pay for".

My girlfriend has some Sennheiser HD 280 Pros and they're pretty decent too, but personally I find them more annoying to wear for a long time because they're heavier and tighter.

The biggest selling point for the Sonys I think is just how common they are. If you use them regularly and then find them in a studio or somethin', you'll know what to expect out of them. The 7506s are flatter than some of the other Sony headphones I've used, but they're certainly not the best or flattest out there and I'd be surprised if the higher end Sennheisers (or Sonys or others) didn't sound better.

I think probably anything mentioned in this thread will at least be decent, but none of the headphones I've ever used compare to a good set of studio monitors, so I'm kinda' spoiled now.

 

[Huggy Love]

My girlfriend has some Sennheiser HD 280 Pros and they're pretty decent too, but personally I find them more annoying to wear for a long time because they're heavier and tighter.

The biggest selling point for the Sonys I think is just how common they are. If you use them regularly and then find them in a studio or somethin', you'll know what to expect out of them. The 7506s are flatter than some of the other Sony headphones I've used, but they're certainly not the best or flattest out there and I'd be surprised if the higher end Sennheisers (or Sonys or others) didn't sound better.

I think probably anything mentioned in this thread will at least be decent, but none of the headphones I've ever used compare to a good set of studio monitors, so I'm kinda' spoiled now.

Dead on! I agree with almost every word.
I have a set of HD280's and feel the exact same way, (plus they are a little shallow on the bass), but they are like a serious clamp on your head that wears you down a little. Big time isolation though.
The rest of what you said goes back to the "get what you pay for" thing, Les mentioned some higher end ones that kickass, and Sennheiser, Sony, AKG, etc produce models that compete in that range too.
The OP wants it mainly for jamming so it's going to be more of a "what sounds best" rule to his purchase rather than all these specs issues we're talking about but hopefully he'll get some good ideas from this thread, try a few of them and find the right set.

 

[DuncanCE22]

Thanks all for your advice, I have narrowed it down to either the |Sony's or the Beyer's. A guitar shop in Oxford has the Beyers and shop in Reading has the Sonys. so I'll let you lot decide which ones I go and try out.

Thanks.

 

[Maertl513]

@DuncanCE22,
Greetings to the UK!
I had the chance to test a pair of Beyerdynamics DT-1770 Pro in Germany.
First two questions for yourself: Do you prefer a open system, a semi-open/semi-closed, or closed? Do you prefer on-ear or over-ear headphones.
The DT 1770 Pro is a closed over-ear headphone, very improved version of the DT 770.
Very articulated frequencies. Closed systems are very good for monitoring and if you don´t want to hear your environment and don´t want to bother your familiy with some noise (likewise the guys in public transport who like to entertain the other users with their musical "taste".
I recommend a Beyerdynamic with maybe 250 Ohm restistance.

 

[CatStrangler]

I use these a lot in my studio as well. A little ripe in the bass, but that helps when tracking, and the rest of the frequency response is very accurate. And as a plus, they don't fart out on the bass as some other cans will, and they reveal a ton of lower end detail.

The Beyer DT-770 are another set I use for tracking guitars especially. The Beyer 880s are similar open phones, and sound more accurate, but are more expensive - I don't know if that's a concern.

Others I recommend are the Grado phones - the cheapest ones are an absolute steal - and the A-T 50x.

I find the Sony cans truly irritating/fatiguing to work with for a long time. But we all have a different set of ears, and with headphones, the anatomy of one's head matters. A lot.

In my studio, most of the talent I bring in to do sessions seems to prefer the Beyer DT-770s over some of my other headphones. When tracking talent, I listen on the Blue cans, so they don't get that choice (call me selfish). I had the Sony cans for talent for a long time, but they sat unused, so I gave them away.

I've got a set of the 880s and really love them, but other people can hear them if that's a concern.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Yeah, I think it boils down to isolation -- the DT770s are great at isolating, they're second only to IEMs like the Etymotics. The Sonys and the DT880s are only partially isolating, however they're fine for the flatmates not hearing if you keep volumes reasonable.

 

[dblack25]

I have been researching these for a few months as I want a quality pair as well. I have decided to get the OPPO PM-3 closed backs. These are planar magnetic headphones which have superior sound reproduction. They are the lowest price of the OPPO line, which means that you get trickle down technology from the PM-2 and PM-1 models. The PM-3's are 400$, which is significant, but I think that they are a better option than most of the others

 

[DuncanCE22]

Also the Beyers come in 3 different impedances 32, 80 and 250 ohm. which is going to be best for playing through my guitar amp?

 

[CatStrangler]

Also the Beyers come in 3 different impedances 32, 80 and 250 ohm. which is going to be best for playing through my guitar amp?

I use the DT880's (250 ohm) with a Kemper and they are loud enough but are sometimes on the border of not loud enough. I would guess your amp manufacturer might have specific recommendation.

 

[László]

The only problem with an open back phone is during tracking, where headphone bleed has the potential to mess things up.

On Maerti's recommendation I'm going to try a set of the DT-1770s, even though they're three times the price of the 770, if they sound great, then party, bonus! I have yet to find a set of closed-back cans that I'd call truly flat in frequency balance, so maybe these will be?

I currently have three sets of closed-back cans on hand, and I use them for different purposes. I like the Beyer DT-770 for tracking, and I like the Blue headphones for this purpose as well. Because the Blues have tremendous bass clarity and go very deep, I find them also useful for checking for problems in the low end. However, both sets of cans have a little too much bass to mix with (or to double check a mix for accuracy).

For that purpose I use another German closed-back headphone by Ultrasone. I find them accurate and highly detailed in instrument placement, listening for reverb tails, etc. But they are easy to drive into splattiness when there's a lot of bass, so I find that I can't really track instruments with a big low end with them.

The best headphones I've had for checking mixes - or for any other purpose - are the Grado HP1000s, but they're tremendously expensive, and are open-back cans, so there's bleed. Mine had impedance that was a mismatch with my Neve summing mixer. So I sold them. I probably shouldn't have, but I hate having stuff in the studio that I can't make use of. However, I did sell them for more than I paid for them after owning them for 15 years, so there's that...

I also have a pair of Stax electrostatic headphones from the 80s, but I never use them because they require a power amplifier, and I have self-powered studio monitors. I probably ought to get them going again...

 

[Michael_DK]

The only problem with an open back phone is during tracking, where headphone bleed has the potential to mess things up.

On Maerti's recommendation I'm going to try a set of the DT-1770s, even though they're three times the price of the 770, if they sound great, then party, bonus! I have yet to find a set of closed-back cans that I'd call truly flat in frequency balance, so maybe these will be?

I currently have three sets of closed-back cans on hand, and I use them for different purposes. I like the Beyer DT-770 for tracking, and I like the Blue headphones for this purpose as well. Because the Blues have tremendous bass clarity and go very deep, I find them also useful for checking for problems in the low end. However, both sets of cans have a little too much bass to mix with (or to double check a mix for accuracy).

For that purpose I use another German closed-back headphone by Ultrasone. I find them accurate and highly detailed in instrument placement, listening for reverb tails, etc. But they are easy to drive into splattiness when there's a lot of bass, so I find that I can't really track instruments with a big low end with them.

The best headphones I've had for checking mixes - or for any other purpose - are the Grado HP1000s, but they're tremendously expensive, and are open-back cans, so there's bleed. Mine had impedance that was a mismatch with my Neve summing mixer. So I sold them. I probably shouldn't have, but I hate having stuff in the studio that I can't make use of. However, I did sell them for more than I paid for them after owning them for 15 years, so there's that...

I also have a pair of Stax electrostatic headphones from the 80s, but I never use them because they require a power amplifier, and I have self-powered studio monitors. I probably ought to get them going again...

You could also check out the Focal Spirit Professionals. They sound very decent to me, for closed backs. Mind you, I don't have TONS of headphone experience, but did a lot of research some time ago.
They don't it everybody's heads/ears, though - the cups are relatively small.

 

[László]

You could also check out the Focal Spirit Professionals. They sound very decent to me, for closed backs. Mind you, I don't have TONS of headphone experience, but did a lot of research some time ago.
They don't it everybody's heads/ears, though - the cups are relatively small.

Those are very good cans.

 

[Spikedog007]

I must admit I didn't read all the posts so please forgive me if this is not on topic but you might want to take a look at Grado Headphones. I had a pair and for the money, they are unbeatable. http://www.gradolabs.com/headphones

 

[alan a]

I had some of the Sony mentioned and they weren't super durable. They are a little bass heavy being DJ cans, but I've had a set of Pioneer HDJ2000s for years. The only thing I can reccomend is going on eBay and ordering a braided cable as the original is a little short

 

[gregvds]

Check out the Grados too, they are lively, openback nice cans made in NY.

Greg

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I had some of the Sony mentioned ...They are a little bass heavy being DJ cans...

Which model are you talking about? I won't argue that they aren't super durable -- they're not as durable as the DT770 or the Koss Pro 4AA, but they're more durable than other headphones I've had except for the pads. But they're not DJ cans. They are a little hyped (heavy bass and bright, slightly recessed mids), but the bass is tight, unlike most DJ phones I've heard.